Visions

Twenty-Two: Fears

At the word 'Darth', Sabine and Zeb pointed their weapons at Arene as one.
Darth Plagueis, Sabine reminded herself. Not Arene.
The Sith noticed the pistoles and bow rifle pointed at him, and looked amused. "You fools!" He laughed. "The very idea that you will try to defeat me..." He couldn't continue, laughing as if he had never heard something so hilarious.
Kanan stepped forward again and activated his lightsaber, adjusting his stance. "We will do what we must."
Plagueis seemed to calm down, and pulled his own saber from his belt. "Of course you will. And you must die."
He activated the lightsaber, and a red glow illuminated his grinning face as Kanan came forward.
Ezra, who had been standing in shock till then, shook his head slightly, joining his master in advancing on the Sith. Zeb and Sabine started firing their guns.
As Kanan came close, Plagueis swung his saber backwards in an arc before striking forward in a stabbing motion towards Kanan. Kanan blocked quickly, pushing the sword to the side, where Ezra entered, weapon raised high.
By now, Ezra and Kanan were on too close proximity to Plagueis for Sabine and Zeb to shoot.
"Carabast," Sabine murmured, and Zeb glanced at her. "My thoughts exactly."
~//~
Plagueis felt like laughing. The Jedi really thought they could defeat him.
The padawan came at him, lightsaber raised high, but the Sith Lord blocked easily, and spun away from the fall of the master's blade. He braced himself with his hand, and used the other to shove the pair back, and froze them in place. Another movement of his hand sent the Mandalorian and Lasat tumbling back into a rock. Too simple.
Plagueis moved forward, letting his activated saber trail behind him, starting a small ground fire and leaving a bright red trail. He circled the boy. "Your fear betrays you," he murmured, studying the padawan. "You have so much pain...and anger."
The boy scowled fiercely at him. "Get out of my head." Plagueis smiled slightly. "You hate yourself. For choices you've made, things you've done."
He heard a gasp and turned his head to see the Mandalorian girl staring with shock, and sorrow. He smiled more. "You are a tortured soul, aren't you?"
He turned to the master, reaching into his mind next. The Jedi grunted in pain. "And you...you think yourself...insufficient. You believe you are not enough to train the boy. And it fills you with fear and dread."
He moved closer, till his face was only inches away from Jarrus'. "You should be afraid. You could never instruct a boy with his capabilities. Especially not blind."
With a last, lingering spasm of pain, he released the Jedi's mind, turning to the girl who had a blaster trained on him. He looked at her, inquisitively. "And what is it you fear? What are your weaknesses?"
She gasped and dropped the gun as he grabbed her mind. She shook her head quickly, hands coming up to cover her ears. Plagueis shook his head. "Do not resist, it only brings more pain."
She ignored him, and he shook his head again, tightening his hold and making her cry out.
Behind him, the padawan yelled out, "Sabine!"
Plagueis ignored him, focused on the Mandalorian. He frowned in concentration. "My, you are resilient. I...I can barely make out your fears." Plagueis was impressed. "You must have some Force-sensitivity in your blood. Your father--"
"My father is none of your concern!" The girl fell to her knees, but her eyes blazed with anger. Plagueis shrugged. "A touchy subject for you, I suppose, but I can understand why you do not go by your true last name. And your mother, such a pity!"
The girl looked terrified, and wrapped her arms over her head. "Stop!" She moaned. Plagueis ignored her, probing deeper. "You fear...the past. You fear the thing that happened to your parents. You fear the loss of your friends. You fear--oh, my." He turned, looking the padawan in the eye. "you fear discovery."
Abruptly, he pulled back, releasing the girl's mind, and she fell in an exhausted heap on the ground.
Plagueis walked back to Jarrus, raising his humming lightsaber. "Fear, your fear, will always be your downfall."
He brought the crimson blade down, a grin on his face as he brought death to the Jedi.
The lightsaber stopped, suddenly, and Plagueis felt as if he was suddenly a spectator, unable to do anything as his body moved against his wishes. "No!" A cry that did not come from him tore from throat. "This is not what I wanted! I wanted justice for the Empire, not death for my friends! I will not let you kill them!"
The hands he had no control of deactivated his lightsaber, throwing it into the vegetation, and the Jedi both fell, panting.
Plagueis let his anger take hold, but he could not control the body he had stolen. The soul he had tried to kill had control again.

Nothing is set in stone.
~The Father

Imma ask right up front, did anyone get that reference to a certain popular SW theory?